Before listening to the tape, look at the map below. Then write down which new places Zheng He might have visited on his seven voyages.

Listening1

By 刘超英

By 刘超英

Zheng He’s VoyageZheng He’s Voyage

By 刘超英

By 刘超英

nautical chartnautical chart

LISTENING TEXT

WHO WAS ZHENG HE?

(Li Huaying = LH, Celia Main = CM)

LH: The most famous Chinese navigator was Zheng He. He lived from 1371 to 1433 and made seven voyages around the South China Sea, across to India and even as far as the eastern coast of Africa. It was the 600th anniversary of these voyages in 2005.

CM: Are there other famous Chinese navigators or is he the only one?

LH: He is the only one we've got evidence for. CM: So there may have been others? LH: We don't know. That's because a later Em

peror may have destroyed a lot of evidence of other voyages.

CM: I see. Where did Zheng He go? LH: The documents tell us that he was born in

Yunnan. He built a pillar to record his achievements. It states that he made seven voyages and visited more than thirty countries.

He said that the Emperor ordered him to show the strength of Chinese power and meet "foreigners from beyond the seas". So he went to unknown places and set up trade.

CM: Tell me about his voyages.

LH: Well, on his first voyage he visited Calicut in India. The people there were very impressed and a little frightened when they saw so many large ships. So the ruler wisely decided to make friends with these strangers.

He gave Zheng He many scarves made of gold and decorated with jewels. Then he entertained him and his men with music and songs.

CM: Did he go to other places?

LH: Yes, on other voyages he visited Champa, and Sumatra near China, Hormuz, and Aden in the Persian Gulf and Mogadishu in Africa. Zheng He opened diplomatic relations with them and gave them presents.

CM: What did the Chinese offer as gifts? LH: Zheng He found that foreign kings particul

arly admired Chinese porcelain and silk. So that's why his ships were filled with those things.

CM: I see. Is that why they say his ships were so large?

LH: Yes, t suppose so. When he returned from India he brought a giraffe for the Emperor as a present. So his ships must have been large.

CM: Some writers say that the ships could carry as many as 20,000 people altogether.

LH: And other writers say Zheng He was eight feet tall! We shouldn't believe everything writers tell us. Obviously they wanted to show how important Zheng He was. Undoubtedly the ships were large--- but perhaps not that large!

CM: I see. That makes sense. Well, thank you for telling me about Zheng He. He sounds a fascinating man.

Answers may

vary.

Listen to the tape for the first time and tick those ports and islands mentioned in the text. Then check to see how many you got right out of the six in the pre-listening activity.

1 ____________ 2 ______________

3 ____________ 4 ______________

5 ____________ 6 ______________

Read the statements and listen to the tape for the second time. Then complete the chart.

2

3

Calicut Champa

Sumatra Hormuz

Aden Mogadishu

Statement Evidence

1 He is the only 15th century Chinese navigator we know.

No reports of other navigators for this period have survived.

2 He came from Yunnan Province.

3 His ships were very large.

4 He was very important.

It was written in documents.

The writers mention it in the books.

He made seven voyages and visited more than thirty countries.

5 Foreign kings liked Chinese porcelain and silk.

6 He returned with strange presents for the Emperor.

1

2

Zheng He remarks how much the foreign kings liked porcelain and silk. He brought a giraffe

for the Emperor from Africa.

He brought scarves of fine gold decorated with pearls and precious stones.

Listen to the tape for the third time and finish these sentences so that they show cause and effect.

1 The Emperor wanted to demonstrate Chinese power abroad so

2 When he died Zheng He wanted people to know how successful he had been so

4

he sent ZhengHe with a large fleet of ships to visit new places in neighbouring countries.

up a pillar describing all his achievements.he put

3 The writers wanted people to believe that Zheng He's ships were large so

4 The writers wanted people to believe Zheng He was very important

would believe that he really had achieved great things and gone to many foreign countries.

that they

described him as being eight feet tall.

so they

TalkingTalkingMay the strangest argument win!

The following information given may help you make your arguments well.

Possible arguments for the voyages

Possible arguments against the voyages

The government can remove pirates from the seas. Then they can tax the traders more.

Armies to the north of China are a constant and very real threat. They had wars with the Chinese army in the past and may do so again if China is not prepared.

The voyages are very impressive and make people in distant lands recognize the greatness of China.

To defend China against the armies from the north is very costly and needs many soldiers. There' will be no money for a fleet.

If we do not continue the voyages we will lose diplomatic and trading connections.

There is little reason to continue foreign trade. China is so large that it does not need foreign trade to develop economically.

Sample debate (Em = Emperor) Em: Those against the voyages may make the

ir arguments now. S 1: Your Excellency, we would like to sugge

st that you do not continue with these voyages. They are expensive and take many soldiers, who could be protecting Chinese borders, away on trading expeditions. This means our people are left exposed to attacks by armies from the north.

S2: We are a great country and do not need to trade with other foreign countries to succeed economically. Selling goods within our borders is quite enough to secure our future. So, Your Excellency, there seems to be no reason to continue these voyages.

Em: Thank you. Now let me hear the arguments of those who want these voyages to continue.

S3: Thank you, Your Excellency. These voyages are very impressive and many people are now able to recognize the greatness of China. They help build diplomatic relations with other countries. What is more, we can co-operate with other countries to clear the South China Sea of pirates and other troublesome people.

S4: In addition these links can help us with our foreign trade. We can sell many things to these countries. Their rulers often ask for more silk and porcelain goods and are very eager for our

friendship and co-operation. With our foreign trade connections we can increase our position in this area and spread our influence even wider.

Em: Thank you for your advice. I have thought for a long time on this matter and I agree that trade with other countries is good. We can use this opportunity to spread the greatness of China and to increase our influence in this region. It would also help our people if we cleared the South China Sea of pirates. They cause difficulties to our fishermen and traders

and hurt many innocent lives. As for our northern border, I will secure that by using other troops and make sure we will be secure in the future. Thank you for your help. The voyages will continue!

Look at each sentence. Complete it with a word opposite in meaning to the one underlined in the sentence.

EXAMPLE: The return voyage was calm, but during the

outward voyage we had one storm after another.

1 When the dawn appeared and outlined the African mountains, they were very beautiful, but at ____ the mountains appeared dark and very frightening.

USING words AND expressionsUSING words AND expressions1

dusk

2 On the arrival of the Queen of England everyone bowed, but on her __________ . everyone waved her goodbye instead.

3 Relaxation exercises are a good way to calm one's mind, but too much exercise brings too much ________ .

departure

tension

4 When climbing the mountain we had to slow down before we reached the top, but on the way down we _________ all the way.

5 To buy a new car every year would represent a life of luxury, but not to have one is no ________ when there are so many buses and taxis.

accelerated

hardship

Use the words or phrases below in their proper forms to complete the passage.

Last year I had a bad experience in the jungle of South America. We had set out with a ________ compass, which was __________ for locating the source of the local river. Our depended _______ on

2

survival portable starvation incident jaws of death compulsory crew parcel thirst dilemma psychologically foresee

portablecompulsory

survival

our navigating skills, but what nobody could have ______ was that we would break our compass. Without it, I, as leader, was on the horns of a _______ . Should we wait for rescue or continue our expedition and perhaps get lost? My decision was made when we counted our food supplies. _________ was not going to be a problem, but _______ was something that we were going to have to deal with ______________ . So we waited where we were. Luckily the police sent a small airplane to find us and drop us a _______ of

foreseen

dilemma

Starvation thirst

psychologically

parcel

supplies and a new compass. When we eventually arrived back from our journey, the air _______ congratulated us on our escape from the ____________ . Only their help combined with our self-control and determination prevented this _______ from becoming a disaster!

crewjaws of death

incident

Translate the following sentences into English, using the words and phrase in brackets.

1 渐渐地，我习惯了学校的常规。既然我已经上了高级班，就可以自己制定学习计划了。 (gradually ； routine)

I have gradually accepted / got used to the routine at school now that I am in the advanced class and can make my own study plan.

3

2 让那个女孩来拍广告有一个不利条件，就是她方方的下巴使她看上去不大友好。(drawback ； jaw)

The drawback of using that girl for the advertising was her square jaw which made her look unfriendly.

3 数学是一门需要精密准确工作的学科。(mathematics ； precise)

Mathematics is a subject which demands precise and accurate work.

4 在公园里，我看见一个小男孩手持风筝线，风筝在他的头顶上正由风摆布，忽上忽下。(overhead ； at the mercy of )

In the park I saw a small boy holding the string of a kite overhead, which was rising and falling at the mercy of the wind.

5 那个探险家想成为第一个到达南极的人以确保他在历史上的地位。 (secure ； pole)

That explorer wanted to secure his place in history by being the first man to reach the South Pole.

6 王先生每月往银行里存款，好攒钱买一所公寓，以尽他对家庭的责任。 (deposit ； responsibility)

Mr Wang made a deposit into the bank every month to save for a flat so that he could fulfil his responsibility to his family.

• Read this passage and then fill in the missing predicates using the verbs in brackets.

In 1909 a disagreement _____ (arise) over who had been the first person to reach the North Pole. This geographical point to the north of the earth ___________ (can, find) among the ice and snow that _____ (float) on the northern sea. Three men _____ (make) the same claim: Frederick Cook, Matthew Hensen and Robert Peary.

USING STRUCTURESUSING STRUCTURES

arose

can be foundfloatsmade

The first to suggest that he ___________ (reach) the North Pole was Frederick Cook. His claim ___ soon _____ (find) to be false when the photographs he _______ (use) as evidence ______ (prove) to be fakes. The second ____ (be) Matthew Hensen, a black American explorer of the Arctic. He was the servant of the third candidate, Robert Peary and ________________ (travel) with him across the Arctic for twenty years. He _____ (state) that he and Robert Peary ___ both ______ (reach) the North Pole together.

had reached

was foundhad used

provedwas

had been travellingstated

hadreached

The American Congress, however, _______ (declare) that Peary was the true winner of this race to be the first American to reach the North Pole. It ______ (seem) that although Hensen and Peary travelled together, Peary ______ (refuse) to allow Hensen to join in his success. Evidence that Hensen ____ (be) there (such as his 110 photographs) all mysteriously _________ (disappear). It seems we ____ (may) never know exactly which American(s) reached the North Pole first. But the Inuit ___ (be) certain that they ___________ (live) there long after the problem ________ (solve).

declared

seemed

refusedwas

disappeared may

arewill be living

is solved

Listen to the tape and put these sentences in the correct order.

( ) 1 Sindbad spent his money foolishly. ( ) 2 One day he landed on an island. ( ) 3 He sold his goods and returned home. ( ) 4 He decided to become a merchant. ( ) 5 The island was really a whale.

LISTENING TASKLISTENING TASK

1

AC

IBD

( ) 6 He was captured.

( ) 7 He drifted to another island.

( ) 8 The king gave him a job.

( ) 9 He was thrown into the sea when the whale sank.

G

F

H

E

LISTENING TEXT SINDBAD'S FIRST ADVENTURE Once there lived a rich merchant called Sind

bad. One evening as they were eating dinner, his friends asked him how he had become so rich. Sindbad smiled. "listen," he said, "and I'll tell you my adventures. This is the first one?

"My father was rich but I spent his money unwisely and was soon left with nothing. At last I decided to trade in foreign lands. So I bought some goods and set out. We sailed many days from island to island. I sold goods and bought others. Then, at last we came to a

beautiful island and decided to visit it. The passengers began to make a fire to

cook dinner. We ate and drank happily. Then I went to explore the island. I had not gone far when I heard the captain calling us back to the ship. "Come quickly. This isn't an island but a giant whale! It has been floating so long on the sea that sand has settled on its back and trees have grown there. The fire woke it up and soon it will sink under the waves and you'll drown?

Everyone rushed to the ship leaving everything behind. Some reached it safely but not all. Suddenly the island shook beneath our feet and sank under the water. I was thrown into the sea, but I managed to grab a piece of wood. Meanwhile the captain set sail, leaving me alone. I thought I would die!

I drifted on the sea until I came to another island. I was safe! But my troubles weren't over, for I was suddenly seized by five men. They dragged me into bushes and held me there. Then I noticed that nearby was a horse tied to a tree. We waited until it grew dark.

Then out of the sea came some enormous seahorses. They approached the real horse cautiously while the men rushed out to catch them. Most escaped but they captured one. They took me back to the king. Later I found that they kept the seahorses to produce strong young horses to sell.

I worked for the king who was good to me. My job was to tell him of any foreign ship that came to his island. One day some foreign merchants came to sell goods.

I asked the captain where he was going. 'Tm going to Baghdad; he said, "I've some goods that belonged to a merchant called Sindbad. I'm taking them back." I couldn't believe my ears. Immediately I explained who I was, and proved to them that I WAS Sindbad. Then I sold my goods and returned to Baghdad a rich man. This was the first of my adventures. Come back tomorrow to hear the second one."

Listen to the tape again and answer these questions.

1 Do you think this story could be true? Why?

The story could not be true because:

A whale would not remain still long enough for trees to grow on its back;

Sea horses do not have the build or size of real horses;

Sea horses cannot be used to produce stronger horses than real horses.

2

2 Which part do you find is the most unlikely?

The ideas of the students may vary. The most important thing is to make sure they have a reason for their ideas.

3 Identify two aspects of animal behavior that are not true. Why?

These aspects of animal behavior are not true. Whales resting so long on the surface of the ocean. Whales have to keep returning to the surface of the sea to breathe but then they must return under the water to keep their skin wet. It would be impossible for a whale to remain on the water so long that soil accumulated and trees grew there.

Sea horses being able to live and move on land and in the sea. Sea horses are small creatures made of shell or bone and about the size of a hand. They have no legs but move along by pushing their tail up and down and curling it up between pushes. Their heads resemble the knights of chessmen sets.

Sea horses cannot breed with land horses to produce stronger land horses.

4 What is the coincidence in the story? Explain it.

The coincidence was that Sindbad met some people from his home. He wanted to go home, and they were looking for him.

Now that you have read some of Sindbad's story it is your task to complete it in an exciting way. First, in pairs, sort out the structure of the story.

READING TASKREADING TASK1

Structure of the story

Information need

Information gained

1 Beginning Hero Sindbad

Place

Type of writing

Baghdad

fiction

2 Develop-ment

Place 1

What happens

Place 2

What happens

on an unknown island

Sindbad is left behind by the ship, sees a bird and ties himself to its leg to escape.

on a high hill

Sindbad unties himself and sees the hill is covered in diamonds.

Now in pairs you are going to devise an ending for the story. Remember that you want the escape to be as exciting as possible but without using magic. Be prepared to tell your ending together to the rest of the class.

2

3 Ending Place

how it ends

hero’s situation

Sindbad falls down a hole and lands on the beach.

Ship passing by rescues him.

Rich (diamonds); Back to Baghdad

• Now you are ready to make your own Sindbad story. It will be his third adventure.

Questions given to the students • Where does the story start? • Why does Sindbad leave Baghdad this time?• What happens on the voyage? • Where does the adventure take place?• How does he find riches? • What problem does he have?• How does he escape?

SPEAKING TASKSPEAKING TASK

• Sample dialogue S1: Where do you think Sindbad should go thi

s time? He seems to have travelled to tropical islands and other strange places. Perhaps he should go to Antartica this time.

S2: A good idea. He can set off from Baghdad and get carried by a strong wind to colder parts. His ship can be hit by an iceberg and he is the only survivor on an iceberg.

S1: That sounds wonderful. Which animals live in Antarctica?

S2: Penguins seem to be the only animals that live there. Perhaps they can mistake him for food and drag him across the ice to their nests.

S1: There he discovers that the penguins use gold to line their nests and if he can get some and get away he will become rich again.

S2: Good thinking. Perhaps another iceberg can hit the place where the penguins live. It rocks the nests and releases the gold. In addition it exposes an old and abandoned boat covered by ice and snow and forgotten by its owners. Sindbad can use that to sail back to Baghdad.

S1: Great! Let's get writing.

Now begin to write your own Sindbad story. Use the stories you have read and heard to improve your writing. Follow the process set out below (given in the text book p.65).

• Sample Writing

One warm sunny day Sindbad was sitting in its Baghdad home when a messenger came banging on his door. He carried a letter from the government begging Sindbad to join an

WRITING TASKWRITING TASK

expedition bound for the islands where he had earlier found so many diamonds. He quickly agreed.

The day he set sail was fine and the wind strong. It carded the ship rapidly out of the harbor and into the open sea. Once there it changed into a howling gale which tore at the ship's sails and dragged it southwards. The sailors were very frightened and went below for safety but Sindbad remained on deck looking at the waves. It was lucky he did, for no sooner had the sailors gone below than the ship hit an enormous iceberg and immediately sank. All were drowned

except Sindbad who was able to crawl onto the iceberg before his ship sank. He lay there in fear for some hours. Later he became so hungry that he was forced to move around on the iceberg searching for food. But, alas, only penguins live in Antarctica so Sindbad remained hungry.

Just as he had curled himself up into a ball to try and go to sleep and forget his problems, he felt himself being pulled across the ice. A large penguin was towing him like a boat behind it and towards a large

nest. Inside the nest he placed the terrified Sindbad, next to three small baby penguins. The mother penguin then began to feed the babies and kept trying to peck Sindbad and remove some flesh from his body. This action was extremely painful and to avoid it Sindbad tried to hide in the bottom of the nest. As he did so, he noticed that the bottom of the nest shone with a yellow glow and as he explored further he soon found that the glow came from gold. It seemed that the penguins lined their nests with gold!

Sindbad struggled to collect some gold for himself but his efforts were in vain. Then suddenly an iceberg hit the place where the nest lay so firmly that the nest broke apart, the gold was revealed and the penguins were thrown into the sea. Sindbad grabbed the gold and looked around for a means of escape.

Suddenly he saw the unmistakable outline of a ship covered by ice and snow but still seaworthy. Sindbad quickly uncovered it and seizing the oars began to row to the north. Before too long he was picked up by another ship and returned to Baghdad, covered in glory and rich once again.